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1/23/09

Always wanted to go FIA GT4 racing but worried the cars just aren't sophisticated enough for your carefully cultivated image? Aston Martin may have the answer. The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 replaces the old Vantage N24 with a larger engine, modified suspension and bigger brakes. You might remember the N24 from the Top Gear episode where James May drove around in one giving himself hemorrhoids.

With the launch of this car, Aston becomes the only brand in the world to make cars for all four levels of GT racing, 1 through 4. Over the road-going model, the GT4 is 300kg lighter, loses the interior in favor of a Recaro racing bucket and a steel roll cage, adds crazy light magnesium wheels and has the usual track-specific suspension and brakes. What's interesting is that the company retained many of the road-going features in the racecar, meaning that if you're the comic relief for a successful car show, driving it on the road may not be such a bad idea. Included are dynamic stability control, traction control, ABS and electronic brake force distribution. The GT4 is available now for just $144,000.

The press release follows:

Aston Martin Racing launches new Vantage GT4

Aston Martin Racing has released the 2009 specification Vantage GT4 based on Aston Martin's new 4.7 litre V8 Vantage. The new Vantage GT4 builds on the success of its predecessor, the 4.3 litre Vantage N24.

The Vantage GT4 has been under development for six months and was unveiled in Dubai this week by Aston Martin chairman, David Richards, and tested extensively at the Dubai Autodrome.

The car is an evolution of the N24 with the larger capacity engine being more responsive with increased torque throughout the rev range. The suspension has been retuned to enhance the handling, including modified front uprights to give increased camber. The 2009 Vantage GT4 also has larger front brake discs with revised cooling.

"In the last two years, the N24 has proved to be one of the most successful cars in its class; winning the Nurburgring 24 Hours this year, as well as several FIA GT4 races," said David Richards. "We have built on this success to develop the Vantage GT4, a competitive racing car for professional and semi-professional drivers, but also a forgiving car which will appeal to enthusiasts who wish to use it for track days and club racing."

The Vantage GT4 is built to FIA GT4 regulations and is eligible to compete in the following series: FIA GT4 European Cup; British GT4 Championship; Britcar Endurance Series; German GT4 Championship; Dutch Supercar Challenge; Dutch GT4 Championship; VLN Endurance Championship at the Nurburgring; Australian Endurance Championship; the American SCCA Championship; and the Aston Martin Owners Club Race Series.

The Vantage GT4 comes with either a manual or sportshift transmission. It is priced from £96,645 and is available to order now with delivery in January 2009.

Aston Martin Racing is now the only manufacturer to produce cars in each of the GT classes: GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4.

The Vantage GT4

The GT4 is based on the latest 4.7 litre V8 Vantage and is hand built by Aston Martin Racing.

The 4.7 litre eight cylinder engine has an engine management system recalibrated for race use. It also has a free flow exhaust system and air filters, and the standard V8 dry sump lubrication system is retained, helping to prevent oil surge during cornering.

The Vantage GT4 can be supplied with either a six speed manual, or a Sportshift transmission with paddle controls. Both versions have a Valeo twin-plate cerametallic racing clutch and lightweight flywheel to complete the powertrain specification.

At 1,330 kg the Vantage GT4 is 300 kg lighter than the standard car. This has been achieved through a range of weight reduction measures. The interior trim is removed with the exception of the facia moulding, which is re-trimmed in Alcantara, and the console and door casings are replaced by new lightweight mouldings.

The chassis has been fitted with a high-strength steel rollcage and Recaro competition seats. A suede-trimmed steering wheel with a quick release mechanism is also fitted as standard. The Vantage GT4's safety features are completed with a Sabelt sixpoint safety harness with a push-button release and Lifeline Zero 360 gas extinguisher system.

The V8 Vantage road car's suspension has required only minor adjustments for optimal track performance. These include larger diameter front and rear anti-roll bars and adjustable ride height aluminium dampers, as well as single rate, flat ground springs with separate helper springs. The front subframe is modified for extra camber and castor. Cast magnesium front and rear wheels are standard fit with high performance Yokohama A048-R tyres. The brakes are uprated with Pagid RS 29 race pads.

As further endorsement of the standard V8 Vantage underframe, the active safety systems are directly carried over to the Vantage GT4, including: dynamic stability control, traction control, ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution, providing reassurance and enhanced control in slippery conditions.

According to CAR, this rendering shows the long-awaited production version of the Aston Martin Rapide. As expected and as indicated by multiple spy shots, the Rapide stays remarkably similar to the original concept, full-length glass roof and all. That's a good thing, the Aston design language, as seen on the DB9, Vantage and Jaguar XK lends itself rather fetchingly to a four door shape, resulting in a much less awkward car than the Porsche Panamera and a much less confused shape than the Lamborghini Estoque. But what changes have been made?

CAR says to expect a two-intake, stacked front grille, a new crease that runs from the front wheels back through both doors, a redesigned trunk and rear clip with a chrome accent between the taillights. The interior should, more or less, resemble a four seat DB9, since that's exactly what this car is.

Power will come from a 6.0-liter V12 making around 500 HP and 420 Lb-Ft of torque. While that sounds like more than enough, a faster version of the Rapide, tentatively called the Rapide R (get it?) is allegedly in the cards. Production will be carried out by Magna Steyr in Austria, meaning the Rapide stands half a chance of having quality that'll live up to its near $300,000 price tag. [via CAR]

Owners of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage with the 4.3-litre engine can upgrade their cars with a new power upgrade that increases power from 380bhp to 400bhp and adds 7lb ft of torque.

The factory-developed upgrade improves the engine's breathing with a new induction system based on the DBS's, allowing more air in at over 5500rpm. The V8 Vantage's engine management system has also been retuned to work better with higher-octane fuels. Top speed goes up to 177mph, and there is a 'slight improvement' in the 0-60mph time – think a fraction of a second.

Aston Martin is also offering the Sports Pack option from the current 4.7-litre V8 as a retrofit for the 4.3-litre V8 Vantage. Uprated springs, Bilstein dampers and lighter forged wheels contribute to what Aston describes as a 'superior dynamic response'.

Owners of an Aston Martin V8 Vantage with the 4.3-litre engine can upgrade their cars with a new power upgrade that increases power from 380bhp to 400bhp and adds 7lb ft of torque.

The factory-developed upgrade improves the engine's breathing with a new induction system based on the DBS's, allowing more air in at over 5500rpm. The V8 Vantage's engine management system has also been retuned to work better with higher-octane fuels. Top speed goes up to 177mph, and there is a 'slight improvement' in the 0-60mph time – think a fraction of a second.

Aston Martin is also offering the Sports Pack option from the current 4.7-litre V8 as a retrofit for the 4.3-litre V8 Vantage. Uprated springs, Bilstein dampers and lighter forged wheels contribute to what Aston describes as a 'superior dynamic response'.

Following the launch of the updated Aston Martin 4.7L V8 Vantage earlier this year, owners of the original 4.3L model are now afforded the choice of a retro-fitted power upgrade plus a special 'Sports Pack' option previously limited to the updated model. With the addition of the power upgrade, peak power is raised by 20hp (15kW) to 400hp (300kW) and torque is increased by 7.3lb-ft (10Nm) to 310lb-ft (420Nm), increasing top speed to 177mph and delivering a slight improvement in the 0-60mph time. Developed by the Aston Martin engineering team, the power upgrade is realized through a revised induction system using technology previously introduced on the DBS supercar.

Mere weeks after showing you the supposed first rendering of the Aston Martin Rapide from the front we've got this supposed rear end shot of the new Aston to add to our collection.

As expected and as indicated by multiple spy shots, the Rapide stays remarkably similar to the original concept, full-length glass roof and all.

As we told you before, we're told to expect a two-intake, stacked front grille, a new crease that runs from the front wheels back through both doors, a redesigned trunk and rear clip with a chrome accent between the taillights. The interior should, more or less, resemble a four seat DB9, since that's exactly what this car is.

Power will come from a 6.0-liter V12 making around 500 HP and 420 Lb-Ft of torque. While that sounds like more than enough, a faster version of the Rapide, tentatively called the Rapide R (get it?) is allegedly in the cards. Production will be carried out by Magna Steyr in Austria, meaning the Rapide stands half a chance of having quality that'll live up to its near $300,000 price tag.

Last month we saw an official rendering of the Aston Martin Rapide, and now Aston is back in the rendering game to reveal the back half of the Porsche Panamera and Lamborghini Estoque. Aston's sedan should be powered by a 6.0-liter 500 hp V12. When we last heard news about the Rapide, CAR reported pricing between £130,000-£150,000 (about $193,000-$223,000 at direct current rates) when it arrives in about a year. This would be a welcomed price compared to the rumors that Aston Martin is (...)

The Kuwaiti-based investment firm that partnered with Prodrive's David Richards and American banker John Sinders in March 2007 to purchase Aston Martin from Ford was previously reported to be offering its stake in the niche carmaker for an estimated $1 billion. Investment Dar Co. paid roughly $480 million for its 50% share of Aston Martin and the investment firm has now confirmed that it is seriously considering selling up to 20% of the British marque. The firm is looking at raising close to $1 billion to refinance some of its debts and is willing to sell a portion of its Aston Martin stake on behalf of itself and some of its partners, according to its executive vice-president Amr Abou El-Seoud, who spoke with Reuters. "We have offers ...

Team Reckless driver Kota Sasaki (Japan) took the 2008 Aston Martin Asia Cup title in style this weekend with a double win in the final rounds held at the Zhuhai International Circuit, China. The Aston Martin Asia Cup joined forces with the Asian GT3 race to provide spectators with a bumper grid at the Southern China [...]

On the rare occasion that an Aston Martin passes into view, it's impossible not to look. Its exquisite sheet metal has a way of making the world a better place, which is why the picture above is so damn painful. We don't have many details regarding exactly how this gorgeous Aston Martin V8 Vantage ended up at a 45-degree angle, but we're pretty sure that's going to show up on CarFax. A quick look at the blacktop beneath the $120,000 supercar reveals that a piece of the truck's loading equipment simply snapped off, resulting in... well...

Considering that the owner loved this Vantage enough to have it shipped via a covered carrier (and likely waited months for the right to buy it) you get an idea of just how upset he or she is right about now. Actually, looking at the photo, we can see that the gentlemen responsible for unloading the Aston don't look too pleased either. Thanks for the tip, Cosmin.